Welcome to the Department of Communication
Communication is a basic feature of human behavior and is fundamental to everyday life. Within the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Communication conducts research, teaches, and provides services to the University and to the community beyond.
We are committed to the contemporary study of human communication by bridging the humanities and social sciences. We have a long and proud heritage dating to 1891 when we were the Department of Elocution formed at the Arkansas Industrial University. Our name was changed to the Department of Communication in 1980.
TEACHING & SCHOLARSHIP
Teaching and scholarship in the Department focuses on the study of factors and processes related to symbolic messages in interpersonal, public, and mediated communication settings. As such, the contexts of friendships and families, business relationships and political systems, cultural interaction, and technological advances are important areas of study in communication. If you are interested in the way people interact through the use of messages and symbols, you will find that the program in communication offers opportunities for scholarship and research. It’s a comprehensive program of study in five broad areas:
- Film Studies
- Interpersonal Communication
- Mediated Communication
- Organizational & Community Communication
- Rhetoric & Public Communication
EXCEPTIONAL FACULTY
In 2025, a panel of outside scholars reviewed the Department of Communication and determined that:
"The Department of Communication is committed to research and teaching excellence. They are clearly dedicated to serving their students, create research that addresses important societal issues, and contribute to the missions of the Fullbright College and University of Arkansas. This begins with highly skilled and competent faculty as evidenced by a high level of research productivity and a strong commitment to teaching."
There are currently over forty full-time faculty members in the department. Our faculty regularly win awards for their teaching, research, and advising.